Chapter 36: A Big Deal
Lord of War, a classic crime film.
The protagonist, Yuri, witnesses a gang shooting by chance and realizes that beyond the basic human need for food, there's also a capacity for violence and conflict. This sparks an idea: why not sell weapons?
He embarks on a path as an arms dealer, initially selling guns piecemeal. Then he discovers that militaries often can't transport their weapons after conflicts end, and shipping used equipment costs more than manufacturing new ones.
So he begins buying up large quantities of surplus military hardware.
Especially in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yuri encounters a major opportunity.
He begins acquiring massive amounts of weapons left behind by the former Soviet military.
1991, New York.
Jake, dressed in a pure black suit with a crimson tie, appears in front of an upscale apartment building.
The modern suit design accentuates his athletic build, and paired with a black duffel bag, anyone would instinctively wonder about this well-dressed young man's business.
Black is forever associated with mystery.
But the crimson tie gave him a distinctive edge that made even street hustlers think twice.
He didn't acknowledge the people on the street, nor did he care about the stares around him. Sometimes, to him, inhabitants of movie worlds were no different from background characters in a game.
He took a step forward in his Oxford shoes and started walking toward the apartment building.
This was a building only successful businesspeople could afford, located in the heart of Manhattan. Each unit was over a thousand square feet, with prices approaching a million dollars.
"Excuse me, which floor is Mr. Yuri Orlov on?" Jake's Oxford shoe stopped in front of a security guard.
The guard was wearing a short-sleeved blue uniform, and he was quite overweight, his loose uniform barely containing his bulk.
The buttons on his lower abdomen strained against the fabric, gaps showing between them.
"We don't disclose resident information," the guard said, holding his baton horizontally. His height of over six-three meant he had to look down to address Jake.
Jake raised an eyebrow, transferred the bag to his left hand, and raised his right hand.
Seeing this, the guard instinctively stepped back, raising his baton higher.
Ignoring the baton, Jake gently snapped his fingers—snap!
"Can you tell me now?"
The guard's eyes glazed over, clearly under hypnotic suggestion.
After obtaining the information he wanted, Jake casually patted the guard's arm. "Thanks," he said, and walked toward the stairs.
Two seconds later, the guard suddenly jolted, confused about why he was standing in a defensive posture with his baton raised.
When Jake knocked on Yuri's door, his wife answered—a former model with limited career prospects. She was fortunate because Yuri loved her, going to great lengths to marry her and spending heavily to support her lifestyle.
She was also unfortunate, because Yuri was destined to be an arms dealer, a lord of war. His natural talent made him unmatched in the weapons trade, so this woman was destined for an unstable home life.
"Hello, who are you looking for...?" Ava opened the door and looked at the unfamiliar well-dressed man.
"Mr. Yuri Orlov, I need to see him about business." Jake smiled, the edge brought by his black suit and crimson tie instantly softening.
"He's home, please come in." Ava nodded hesitantly, then stepped aside to let Jake enter.
Ava didn't know what her husband's profession truly was—no matter how much she asked, she couldn't find out—but since this was her husband's business associate, she felt she couldn't turn him away.
"Honey, who's here? Is it Vitaly?" Yuri's voice came from inside.
"Sorry, he just woke up," Ava smiled apologetically at Jake, then turned to her husband and said, "No, it's one of your business associates. He says he needs to see you."
A few seconds later, Jake clearly heard commotion from the bedroom. The bedroom door suddenly flew open, and Yuri, hastily dressed, appeared before Jake, barefoot except for one sock.
He'd never told his family what he did, especially his wife, so when a business contact appeared unannounced, he instinctively panicked, afraid of revealing his identity as an arms dealer.
"Hello, Mr. Orlov," Jake extended his hand and shook hands with the flustered Yuri. "My name's Jake. Your business reputation has reached certain circles I'm involved with."
"Uh, hello," Yuri's face still showed signs of alarm. In recent years, his arms dealing had taken him across the Northern Hemisphere, so he didn't remember meeting Jake before, but he was certain this man knew what he did.
"Ava, could you give us a moment? I need to discuss work with this gentleman," he said, turning to his wife, whose curiosity was beginning to show.
"Uh, okay," Ava nodded, returning to the bedroom alone and starting to organize the mess.
Finally, only Jake and Yuri remained in the living room.
"Who are you! What are you doing in my house!" Yuri hissed, his expression threatening.
Seeing Nicolas Cage about to become aggressive, Jake raised his hands calmly, having studied mentalist McKinney's techniques; he had experience in negotiation.
"My purpose is simple," Jake said, ignoring the threat, settling onto the sofa and placing his bag on the coffee table. "I know you've gone into debt to buy this place and maintain appearances."
"So what?" Yuri stammered, afraid his wife would discover he wasn't actually a millionaire, just a man drowning in debt.
"I can help you solve this problem." Jake reached into his bag and opened it. Crisp bills were visible inside, and Yuri, who'd handled countless transactions like this, knew this was exactly what he needed right now.
"What kind of business are you proposing?" He glanced at the money in the bag; there was about eighty thousand. With that money, he could make next month's mortgage payment.
"I need some weapons and ammunition."
"You can go to dealers on the street; they handle small transactions like that." A few guns and ammunition would only cost a few thousand dollars, maybe less.
This world was different from Léon: The Professional; weapons were far more accessible here.
"This is just my deposit." Jake zipped up the bag; the sound of the zipper seemed to tug at Yuri's attention.
Yuri was currently in an awkward position. He was heavily in debt from pursuing his wife, but couldn't do arms deals to maintain his cover. Money was the only thing that could solve his immediate problem.
"I have a major deal I want to do with you," Jake said with a knowing smile.
"What deal?"
"I want to acquire three tanks, three attack helicopters, a dozen RPG launchers, and matching ammunition..."
"Are you insane!" Yuri's face contorted in disbelief. "How could I possibly get tanks?!"
"Haven't you heard?" Jake asked mysteriously. His enigmatic expression made Yuri's anger subside, replaced by curiosity. "Heard what?"
"The Cold War is over. The Soviet Union has collapsed," Jake said without elaborating.
As an arms dealer, Yuri immediately saw a massive opportunity. With the Cold War over and the Soviet Union dissolved, global conflict would decrease temporarily. The question then arose: what would happen to the massive weapons stockpiles from the disintegrated Soviet Union?
The more Yuri thought about it, the more excited he became, unable to contain himself, laughing and pacing. "You're not messing with me, are you?" But then another thought occurred: maybe this guy was just playing him?
"Why would I lie?" Jake spread his hands innocently. "But I've already reserved these items. I hope you can acquire them quickly."
"Of course!" Yuri stood up and grabbed Jake's hand enthusiastically. "The information you've brought is incredibly valuable!"
"Get ready to go to the former Soviet territories." Jake tossed the bag to him. "Don't let someone else beat you there. But there's one thing I need to clarify: I don't have cash for the full purchase."
"What?!" Such crucial information, in Yuri's eyes, might be worth a used car or some connections, but definitely not three tanks and attack helicopters.
"I'm going to pay with gold..." Jake had a mysterious smile on his face.
Yuri looked at this enigmatic young man, his expression turning serious. Mysterious people who appeared out of nowhere were always the most unpredictable.
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